A work colleague has been signing the praises of this Eastlake patisserie for months, but I hadn't made the half-mile walk from the office to sample their lunch offering until today. What a revelation!
First and foremost, Le Fournil is a French bakery in the most exacting sense of the phrase: they create magically light and flaky pastries, as good as anything you'll find in Paris, right in their little Eastlake shop. As an amateur baker myself, I know hard had it is to achieve the precise taste and texture of a traditional French croissant, and Le Fournil creates this and other hard-to-execute pastries with absolute perfection.
If that weren't enough, Le Fournil also boasts a pleasant-if-spare eating area where they serve baguette sandwiches and other lunch treats built around their own bakery offerings. The best deal is a $6.99 lunch special, including a sandwich, drink and any one of their excellent individual pastries.
If you live or work anywhere near the University Bridge, Le Fournil should be on your short list of local stops, both for their excellent baked goods, and for a quick and satisfying lunch.
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